Seeing
by Uniquely X
Summary: A decade has passed since Mary met her daemon. She is now a daemon seer, the only one in her world, or so she thinks. But then she discovers that there are others.
1. Thoughts and a Letter

**Disclaimer: I do not own His Dark Materials. Credit goes to Phillip Pullman.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Thoughts and a Letter**

Dr. Mary Malone still remembered the day when the witch had shown her her dæmon. That alpine chough was her's; that beautiful black bird! However, as soon as Serafina Pekkala had returned to her own world, the vision had vanished. But what person would let something like that go? So Mary had practiced; focusing, meditating, spending hours staring of into space. It had taken, days, weeks, months until Mary saw him again.

Now, a decade later, seeing him was natural to Mary, and she refused to spend a moment without him. They had had long conversations together, using a telepathy available to them through their bond, and he had suggested many things that had done well. Mary and he had even decided a name for him: Alpino.

Mary's view drifted over the quiet bus. Few people were out at 2:30, and the only passengers were two elderly ladies in the front row, a college student sitting in the back, his eyes closed, and Mary herself. Mary turned to watch Alpino as he gazed out the window.

_Mary, do you think we could tell other people about their d__æ__mons?_

Mary was slightly surprised at the question, but it had crossed her mind before too. _How long have you been thinking this over, Al?_

_Not long,_ he replied. _I was looking at all the unknown d__æ__mons, and I wondered if we could introduce them to each other._

_People would think I was mad!_ Mary thought. _And since you aren't corporeal, we couldn't have proof._

_I know,_ Alpino said, sighing gently. _It's just... nothing._

_Al, it's never nothing with you,_ Mary thought, smiling slightly. _I promise you, if the occasion ever arises, we can try._

_I know,_ Alpino said, ruffling his feathers and hopping into Mary's lap. _We can only try._

_At least we have each other,_ Mary thought, trying to cheer him up.

_Yes,_ Alpino said.

Nothing more was said as the bus drove to their destination, and they got off. Alpino lazily drifted at Mary's shoulder as she briskly walked the short distance from the bus stop to her flat. When they reached her cement doorstep, Mary pulled out her silver keys and unlocked the door, letting herself in. She kicked off her shoes, set the keys on the end table, then relaxed on the couch with that day's mail.

"Junk, junk," Mary murmured as she leafed through the white envelopes. Then she saw the scrawled print. She pulled out Will's letter and, using her thumb, sliced open the top.

_Dear Mary,_

_I recently got the job with the physics department. It will help pay the tuition, and I can stay in the dorms too. They allow pets as well, so I won't have to worry about Kirjava. I think I made the right choice when I majored in physics._

_I went to the university library today and looked up books on Dark Matter. They had a grand total of one paper on it, and I took it to my professor, asking about it. He said it was an old project, but that a man in the United States had recently taken it up. My professor seems interested about it, and he offered to contact the man if I was interested. I agreed, and my professor sent the man a email. I suppose I'll hear back soon. It was hard to remain curious after all I've been through, but it'll be interesting to hear back from the man._

_From, Will_

Mary set down the letter, blinking a few times.

_He sounds sad._

_You think so?_ Mary asked.

Alpino nodded. _You think so, too. He still hurts._

_Do you think he'll be okay?_ Mary asked, worry creasing her brow.

_I don't know,_ Alpino said. _But he'll keep going. He's too stuborn not to._

Mary rose from the couch, and walked the few steps to the kitchen. She started the coffee pot, and then leaned on the counter, her mind filled with thoughts.

* * *

**Well, first chapter done! I hope it's okay. Please review; all reviews are welcome.  
**


	2. Seers

**Chapter 2: Seers**

Mary pushed her glasses higher up onto her forehead. She heaved out a long sigh, and rubbed her eyes. She glanced out the window to the warm summer day. How she would enjoy being out there, but the mountain of paper work wasn't going to do itself.

She was about to pick up her pen again, when Alpino said, _Let's go for a walk._

_I can't Al,_ Mary replied. _I have all this work to do._

_ Just a short trip around the block. It'll clear your head._

Mary looked out at the sunny day again. _Okay, but only for a short time._

Alpino stretched out his wings, then flew to Mary's shoulder and perched there. Mary pushed back her chair, stretched too, then headed for the door. A rush of warm air hit her face as she pushed open the door. She stepped onto her porch, locking the door behind her. Alpino flapped a few times, and flew up into the air.

_Isn't this better than in that stuffy house?_ he called down from the lofting breeze he was gliding on.

Mary smiled up at him, and began her quiet stroll around the block. She sighed, enjoying the afternoon sun on her skin.

Mary had walked about half-way around the block, when she felt a jolt of shock and surprise course through the bond. _What is it?_ she asked Alpino who was still flying above her.

_Do you see that girl?_

Mary looked around her. The street was surprisingly quiet for Oxford, and it took her a moment to spot the girl walking in the same direction on the other side of the street. The girl was in her early teens, perhaps thirteen, and was wearing a tank top and shorts, her long blond hair in a ponytail. Nothing was unusual about her. _What about her, Al? _Mary thought. _I don't see anything._

_Look at her d__æ__mon,_ Alpino said, and Mary focused her mind to see the girl's dæmon.

The transparent figure was cat formed, a dark, black creature that appeared to be a shadow. It walked beside the girl, keeping close to her ankles.

_Nothing's happening, Al._

_Watch._

Mary felt conspicuous as she continued to watch the girl. It took a moment, but then she saw it. The girl seemed to glance around. Then she gently cupped her arm across her stomach. And her dæmon leaped into her arms. With almost unbelievable balance, it stood on her palm.

_See! See!_ Alpino was ecstatic with excitement.

_I see, _Mary consoled him, but she could not share in his excitement. What she felt ranged closer to disbelief. _How does she know of him?_

_Maybe she's like us,_ Alpino suggested. _Maybe there are others!_

_But... how?_

_Let's ask!_ Alpino flew across the road, tugging at their bond a little.

_Hello?_ Mary could hear Alpino's attempted conversation. She saw the girl come to a sudden halt, then slowly turn around. Then she began to walk across the street. The cat dæmon in her arms leaped down and turned into a large lion.

"This may be a little odd...," the girl began when she reached Mary, "but, did your dæmon just talk to mine?"

Mary, stunned to silence, nodded.

The girl's eyes lit up. "You can see your dæmon, too?"

Mary nodded. "My name's Mary Malone."

"Mine's Annabelle," the girl said. "You're not from our section, are you?"

"Section?"

"Yes. Of dæmon seers."

"No, I'm not," Mary said. "I didn't know that their were any seers but me."

"We're kinda secretive," Annabelle said. "Would you like to meet my dad? He's in charge of our section."

Mary shot a glance at Alpino. He nodded. "Okay," she said.

* * *

**And now there is a Chapter 2! Thank you for reading. If you see any spelling/grammar mistakes, please point them out! Please review; all reviews welcome.**


	3. The Leader

**Chapter 3: The Leader**

Annabelle led Mary to a house a few blocks away. It was average, blending in perfectly with the surrounding neighborhood. Annabelle marched up the three steps to the front door and pulled it open.

"Mom!" she called. "We have a visitor!" Annabelle turned back to Mary, who was still on the front walkway, and beckoned her in. Mary followed Annabelle into the house.

Annabelle's mother quickly came to the door. She was shorter than Mary, and had shoulder-length blond hair and bright green eyes. Her dæmon was a small terrier, that trotted briskly at her heels, ears perked.

"Mom, this is Mary Malone," Annabelle said. "Mary, this is my mom, Rebecca."

Rebecca held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you." Mary shook it. Rebecca then asked, "How can I help you?"

"You see," Mary began, "I am also a dæmon seer, but I did not know there were others like us." She chose to leave out "in our world". After all, the windows were already closed.

Rebecca nodded slightly. "I suppose you want to see my husband. He's head of our division of seers."

"Yes, that would be wonderful."

Rebecca turned to a small side hallway, which led to a door. She opened the door and spoke to the person inside, then opened the door wide for Mary, who smiled gratefully, and entered.

The room was an office, and contained a desk and many bookshelves. Light spilled in through windows, giving the room a golden glow. The man who sat behind the desk appeared about forty, with a slight balding and glasses perched on his nose. Mary looked for his dæmon.

_Where is she?_ Mary asked Alpino.

_Perched on the tall bookshelf,_ he said in awe.  
Mary then saw the snowy owl dæmon. White feathers and sharp yellow eyes. That were far too visible.

Eyes wide, Mary turned to the man. She opened her mouth, but was unable to form the question.

The man chuckled. "Yes, she is corpreal."

"How?" Mary asked. "I thought all-" She cut herself off quickly. She had been about to say "I thought all the windows were closed."

"When a person becomes a leader," he said, standing and coming around the desk. "he must pass a test. We, long ago, found a doorway to the word of dæmons. The nominee must go into that world, and he must cross a bridge, leaving his dæmon behind. When he reaches the other side, he must turn around and go back. And, if he has survived, his dæmon will be waiting for him, solid, and with many more power's besides. That is how."

Mary nodded slowly, remembering Lyra and Will's story. "I'm Dr. Mary Malone," she said, holding out her hand.

"Charles Cooper," the man said, shaking her hand. "Please have a seat." Charles gestured to a chair in front of the desk, in which Mary sat. He, himself, sat behind the desk. "Which division are you from Mary?"

"I'm not," Mary said. "I was told this by someone, and kept practicing until I could see."

"Fascinating," Charles said. "Would I know this someone?"

"I don't think so," Mary said. "It was a while ago."

"I know quite a lot of people," Charles said.

_Should I tell him?_ Mary asked Alpino.

_Do you trust him?_

Decided, Mary told Charles about the witch. She told him about the adventure, her part at least.

When she was done, Charles cool expression was amazed.

"That amazing," he said. "I would like to meet this witch." He stood up, decided. "I will go through the doorway, but this time I will explore."

Mary started to tell him that the windows were closed, but he was out the room and down the hall before she could. She could hear him dialing a telephone.

* * *

**Author's Note: How did I do? Please review; all reviews are welcome.**


	4. Telephone Calls

**Author's Note: This is long overdue, but thank you for the reviews! They encourage me to keep writing. Speaking of writing, I'm sorry for my irregular habit of updating. I'm going to try much harder to update more frequently.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Telephone Calls  
**

Mary was worried. She had called the Coopers three times this morning and all her calls had gone to voice mail. She had tried to get back to her work, but worry took up most of her focus. Finally, she threw down her pen in exasperation.

"I have made a huge mistake," she said to the empty house.

_It wasn't your fault,_ Alpino thought from his perch. _You didn't know what would happen and you trusted him._

_I shouldn't have._ Mary sighed. _I shouldn't have been so open._

_Hey, the only other dæmon seer you know is Will, and he's busy almost all the time. Besides, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was the one who insisted that you talk to Annabelle._

_It's not your fault, Al, _Mary thought reaching out to stroke his feathers.

_It's not your's either._

Mary half smiled. She stared out the window, thinking. _Well, what should I do?_

_Call him again. They can't miss every phone call._

Mary pushed herself out of her chair, and walked to phone. She quickly dialed the number she had recently memorized. The phone rang three times, then someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Annabelle," Mary said. "It's Mary. Could I talk to your father?"

There was a pause. "Is this about that window thing?"

Now, it was Mary's turn to hesitate. "Yes, it is. Your father never let me finish and explain everything."

"I don't know Mary. The last time I saw Dad this excited, he was about to be elected leader of our division. And he has trouble listening when he's excited."

"Well, could I talk to him anyway?"

"He's not home right now."

"Well, could you have him call me back?"

"I could try..."

It was better than nothing. "Thanks."

"Mary, what is this all about? What did you tell my dad?"

Mary glanced over to Alpino. _She deserves to know,_ he said.

"Well, about ten years ago, some of my friends found a window to another world. But the thing was, that the windows can't stay open, or else the worlds will fall out of balance. So, we were all sent home to our own worlds and the windows were closed."

There was a pause as Annabelle comprehended all of it. "Dad's going on a wild goose chase, isn't he?"

"Yes, Annabelle," Mary said. "Somethings just shouldn't be bothered with."

"I'll try and tell him, Mary. I really will."

"Thanks, Annabelle."

"Bye, Mary."

"Goodbye."

Mary hung up the phone, then rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. She turned to face Alpino. _I think something very bad is about to happen._

_ A person who refuses to listen is a dangerous thing,_ he said. _But you tried your best._

This gave Mary little encouragement.

Mary continued through her day, filing papers, paying bills, and reading a paper for research. She was startled, late in the afternoon, by the ring of the telephone. Predicting who it was, she grabbed the handset and answered.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Mary! Are you free in the day after tomorrow?" The caller was Charles Cooper, and he was very excited.

"Yes, but-"

"Wonderful! I need you to come over to my house then. Do you know the way?"

"Yes, but you see-"

"I've invited the most important seers in England! I'll need you to recount exactly what you told me."

"But-"

"Will you?" His voice had a dangerous tone to it.

"I'll come, but-"

"Great! I'll see you at 3:30 then." The line beeped off and went dead.

Mary set down her phone, face pale. _What have I done?_

Alpino shared her shocked expression. _Just tell them everything on Thursday. He has to listen to _somebody_._

Slowly, Mary slid into an armchair, weary. She would go to the meeting, and she would explain everything. Hopefully, everything would be fixed.

* * *

**Author's Note: I finally know where my story is heading, so writing should be regular. I'm sorry my chapters are so short; I'm trying to make them longer, but I'm not good at filler. Please review.**


	5. The Interview

_I'll be happy when this is over,_ Mary told Alpino as they walked to the Coopers. She was sick of worrying, but even Alpino's encouragement couldn't get her to calm down. Her focus had become jumpy, too, and working for long periods of time was all but impossible. So, dressed in a nice blouse and trousers, Mary felt a small sense of relief that this whole affair was coming to a close.

_Just don't stutter,_ Alpino advised.

Mary gave a little smile, as she walked up the front steps, and rang the Cooper's doorbell.

Charles opened the door. "Ah, Mary. Glad you're here! I'm so excited for your interview." He opened the door wider, allowing Mary to enter his house. She stepped in, happy to be in the air conditioning. Charles led her to the sitting room, in which several men and women already sat, looking important.

Mary gave a small nod. "Hello," she said.

_Be brave,_ Alpino whispered, though he was also wary of the other's quite solid dæmons.

The other occupants numbered five. There were two women and three men. Near a window sat a small woman who appeared in her forties with slightly graying hair. She gestured at a chair, implying that Mary sit. Coiled around her neck and shoulders was a viper dæmon that was undoubted venomous.

Mary sat, perhaps a bit too suddenly. She didn't particularly like snakes, let alone venomous ones.

"Now that we're all assembled," said Charles, ever charismatic. "Allow me to introduce Dr. Mary Malone. She's had some interactions in other worlds, apparently like the one we go to solidify our dæmon." He paused, hoping for some comment, but none came. "Dr. Malone, these are other members of my order. Dr. Chausler-" A man with crinkles around his eyes and a husky dæmon gave her a small smile and reached to shake her hand. "Call me David," he said.

"Henry Bartlow." The man was large and impressive, tall with a black beard. His snow leapord dæmon was majnificant, and Mary wondered how he managed to travel with her. He smiled at her.

"Michelle Gregory." The willowy woman with blond hair, shook hands with Mary, grip soft.

"Dr. Frank Sounder." He looked like a stereotypical scholar, with glasses and a briefcase. His dæmon was clinging to his chest as an opossum.

"And, the leader of our order, Dr. Daniella Willamson."

Mary stretched out her hand. "How do you do?"

"Quite well, thank you," Dr. Williamson said. She did not take Mary's hand. "Sit, Charles. We have important matters to attend. Now, I understand you traveled throughout the 'worlds'."

Mary's mouth felt dry. She swallowed. "Yes."

"And you are aware of other windows and how to get to them?"

"Well, sort of."

"Sort of?" Dr. Williamson's thin eyebrows rose in a question. "Charles, I thought you said that she could find these things?"

"She can," Charles said, casting a swift glare in Mary's direction.

"What do you mean by 'sort of', Doctor?"

"There used to be lots of windows, but they had to be closed," Mary said, glad the topic had headed in this direction so quickly.

"Charles failed to mention that," Dr. Williamson said. "Please tell the council the _entire_ story."

"Well," Mary said, not sure how to properly begin. She wiped her sweaty palms on her trousers. "About a decade ago, I was working on an experimental science that we called Dark Matter. It was an unusual particle, and seemed to be connected to consciousness." Mary paused.

_Oh, just tell the entire story!_ Alpino said. _Last time you tried to obscure the details you got us into this situation._

Mary gave a small nod and continued. "Now, about a week before our department was to be closed down, a girl found her way to my office. She called herself Lyra Silvertongue, and she knew quite a lot about Shadows." Mary smiled fondly. "I didn't know this at first, but Lyra also possessed a corporeal dæmon. In her world, they all had corporeal dæmons, and she had been quite startled that we didn't. Lyra gave me the hint to change the Cave, the computer we used to contact Shadows, and make it use words."

Dr. Williamson sat up even straighter. "Do you still have this machine?"

"No," Mary said, to which Dr. Williamson scowled. "I was instructed to destroy it."

"By whom?"

"The Shadows. I destroyed all my equipment and fled. It actually cost me quite a lot in fines. Anyway, I was directed to a window. I think this is what you're describing when you talk of that other world. This window led me to a strange world, with strange people."

"The girl's world?" Dr. Sounder asked.

"No, a different one. I never went to Lyra's world. After I had been with the mulefa for a while-"

"The what?" Dr. Chausler asked.

"The mulefa were the people who inhabited the world. They weren't humans, but had equal intelligence. Anyway, after I had lived with them for a while, Lyra showed up again. She was traveling with a boy from our world. The way they had traveled around was through the use of a knife. This knife could cut through worlds. But the knife had to be broken and we all had to return to our own worlds. Then all the windows were closed."

"Why was the knife broken?" Dr. Williamson asked immediately.

"Because the windows were destroying Shadows. They were flowing into the tears and it was destroying all the universes." Mary sat back as they processed her story.

_You did well,_ Alpino said from his perch on her lap. _ Quite well._

After another moment's pause, Dr. Williamson said, "I would like to meet this boy. You said he was from our world?"

"Yes," Mary said, worried. She dreaded bringing Will into this, not now. Not when he was only beginning to accept what had happened. So she quickly added, "But he's away at college."  
"He has to eventually come home," Dr. Williamson said, daring Mary to disagree. "I'd like to arrange a date. Can you do that?"

"I'll see what I can do," Mary said.

"Thank you for your time. You may go."

Mary left the room, a new bout of worry already forming. She was led to the door by Rebecca, who gave her a sympathetic smile as she held the door open. It took a huge amount of Mary's self control not to race home and hide, but she finally made it to her house.

Mary fumbled with the key, and finally let herself in. She quickly shut the door, threw her keys on a table, and grabbed the phone. Soon, she found her personal phone book and found the name. She punched the numbers in and waited as it rang.

"Hello?"

"Will, I think we have a problem..."

**Author's Note: I know, I know. I promised that I'd update regularly, then disappeared for two months. I'm sorry. I'm having trouble being motivated for this story. At least the action is coming up, so I should be at least a little interested (let's hope I didn't just jinx it). Please review, whether you like it or not. They always make my day. :)**


	6. Will's Return Home

Mary waited by her front window. A month had passed since the awful meeting with the dæmon seers, and the initial shock of everything had worn off. But Dr. Williamson had been right: Will did have to come home eventually. He had decided to take the rest of his summer break off and visit Oxford again. And he was whom Mary was waiting for.

A taxi pulled up to there house. A smile grew on Mary's face, and she left her post by the window. She opened her door and stood in front of it. Will was paying the driver. He got his suitcase from the trunk and turned to Mary, a small smile on his face. The taxi drove off as Will walked up the short front walkway and three steps.

Mary hugged Will as soon as he reached the porch. "How are you?"

"Glad to be home," he said.

As soon as they were inside, Will knelt down and opened the cat carrier. Kirjava stepped out and shook her fur irritably.

"I hate that Will," she said.

"Sorry," Will replied, stroking her fur.

Will carried his suitcase up the stairs while Mary went to the kitchen. Will was downstairs in a minute.

"How was your trip?" Mary asked.

"Long," Will said, getting a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water. "We were stuck in traffic near London."

Mary made a sympathetic noise. "And your studies? Did you contact the professor in the states?"

Will nodded. "We've emailed a few times. He seemed reluctant to tell me much, like he was afraid I'd steal his idea, but he didn't know much." Will gave a small laugh. "You and I could make millions if we could prove what we know."

Mary nodded. "I've been thinking about that. Are you hungry?"

Will shrugged. "Not particularly."

"Pasta sound good?"

"Great."

Will watched as Mary pulled out a kettle and started some water boiling. "Has anything happened with those seer people?" Kirjava gave a little hiss at their name.

Mary focused on finding spaghetti in the cupboard. "Charles has remained in contact with me."

Will shook his head in distaste. "I don't like those people, especially him. He's doesn't seem of his right mind."

"He's going to want to meet you since you've come home."

"I figured as much. We shouldn't trust them. They remind me too much of the whole Dust panic."

Mary had never actually experienced the war with Lord Asriel and Mrs. Colter. However, both Lyra and Will had recounted their stories to her and she had a pretty good idea of the insanity over the small particle that had happened. Mary glanced over to Alpino, who was perched the top shelf that Mary had purposefully left bare for him. Both were worried about Will's reaction since the topic was veering so close to Lyra and her world. It had been hard for him when they first came back home, and they had completely stopped talking about it.

"I'm not fragile, you know?"

Mary ducked her head, embarrassed. "We know."

They stood in silence for a while, neither being talkers. Mary finished the pasta, and they sat down to eat, talking about politics and Will's studies and the weather and all sorts of things that normal households talk about over dinner. It wasn't until they were almost done that the subject of the dæmon seers was brought up again.

"How often does... Charles you said his name was?" Mary nodded. "How often does he call?"

Mary sighed. "He's been calling everyday."

Then, as if on cue, the phone rang. Mary stood, but Will was closer. "I'll get it," he said.

Mary sat back down. Will walked to the kitchen and answered to phone.

"Hello?"

Mary saw Kirjava's fur bristle and immediately realized that it must be Charles Cooper calling again.

"Yes... Yes, I am but... She has... I'm not sure... You see... Very well... Yes... She will... Okay..." Will set hung up the phone, then returned to his seat, brow crinkled in confusion. Mary waited for his reaction.

"That is one upbeat man."

Mary laughed. The way Will said it was completely unexpected.

"What did he want?"

"We have to meet him on Wednesday. Apparently everybody important in his club is going to be there and I have to give the evidence and tell them how to get into other worlds."

Mary was serious now. "Wednesday. This isn't going to be fun. The rest of the board aren't like him. They're very serious about this sort of thing. And their leader has a snake dæmon. A snake!"

"Well, what can they do? They can't get to another world, even with the Knife, and I doubt they'll attack us."

"Do you still have the Knife?" Mary asked.

Will nodded. "It's too dangerous to just throw away. The fragments can still cut. So I keep it in its sheath. It's in my bag."

"You might want to bring it tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Because I think they're going to need proof. And showing them that it's broken is the best proof we have."

**Author's Note: I've finally accepted that no matter how many promises I make to myself, I just can't update regularly. Sorry. I decided to just update this as one short chapter in stead of the longer chapter, cause that way I don't have awkward chapter spacing. It was actually really hard to write this chapter, cause I really didn't know how to work it. I'm not really satisfied. Also, have I written Will OOC or is it just me? He feels... off for some reason. Please let me know and I'll fix it (if I have to). Well, expect a long(ish) action-packed chapter next time.**

**Please review, just so I know you're out there :)**


	7. Breaking Point

"Ready to go?" Will called to Mary.

"Yep," Mary said coming down the stairs. "Do you have the Knife?"

Will nodded patting the bag slung over his shoulder. "It's there. Mary, do I really have to bring it?"

"Knowing Charles Cooper, he'll have to see the proof before he quits," Mary said. "I think once they all see that it's broken they'll leave us alone."

"That will be nice," Will said. Charles had called everyday for the past few days, with little tips and reminders that were completely unnecessary. It had become so frequent that it had become a sort of joke with Will and Mary.

Together they walked to the Coopers'. They set up was quite familiar to Mary as it was almost identical to the first meeting. Charles met them at the door.

"Ah, Mary! Good to see you again. And you must be Will. It's delightful to meet you in person." He shook Will's hand, then turned to lead them to the sitting room.

Will looked sideways at Mary as soon as Charles' back was turned, obviously questioning the man's sanity. As always the other seers were incredibly stern when they entered the sitting room.

"Hello, Dr. Malone," Michelle Gregory said when they entered.

"Hello," Mary replied, already nervous. Snakes just bothered her, and the woman to whom the snake belonged to was even more worrying.

"Dr. Malone, thank you for coming," Dr. Williamson said. "I presume this is the boy you mentioned from your story."

"Will Parry, ma'am," Will said, his humor from earlier gone.

"You have a corporeal dæmon?" Dr. Williamson said gesturing to Kirjava who was standing close to Will's feet.

"Yes, I do."

"Have a seat. We have much to discuss."

They sat. Mary cursed her nervousness. Interviews were easy for her; she didn't understand why she was so edgy.

"Now, Dr. Malone, you neglected to tell us about his dæmon," Dr. Williamson began.

"I didn't think it was relevant," Mary said.

"Will, how did your dæmon become this way?"

"I went through the world of the dead." Will didn't elaborate, and Dr. Williamson raised her eyebrow.

"How?"

"With the use of a knife."

"Dr. Malone mentioned that. She also said it was broken."

"That is true."

Charles shifted in his seat. "Surely it can be fixed. It is a knife."

Will shook his head. "If it could be fixed, which it can't, I wouldn't let it."

"Why not?" Dr. Williamson asked.

"Didn't Mary explain the situation to you?"

"I would like to hear your side of the story."

"It had to be broken so that it could never be used again. It was destroying the worlds and creating these things called Spectres."

"Spectres?"

"They basically eat your soul and leave you and empty husk." Everyone, excluding Dr. Williamson, recoiled at the thought. A soul-eater was shiver inducing.

"That is why the windows had to be closed and the Knife had to be broken," Will concluded bluntly.

The room was quiet for a moment. Charles was the one to break the silence. "How do we know that you're not hiding something?"

"Charles," Dr. Williamson said sharply, but Charles payed her no mind.

"Why would we hide something?" Will asked suspiciously, Kirjava's fur bristling.

"Because you never seem to want to share all the facts. Forgive me, but we keep discovering facts that Mary left out." Charles said

"We will prove it if you insist," Mary said.

"I would like that," Charles said.

"Will, show him the Knife," Mary instructed.

Will looked questioningly, but did as she asked. He reached into his bag and produced a sheath. It was unadorned, but had a series of buckles used to secure its contents. A hilt was visible, held in place by a clip. Mary could see the others lean forward in their chairs, curious. Will carefully unfastened the clips and let the object slide from the sheath. And, for the first time in almost a decade, the Knife was shown to the world again.

It was in several pieces. It looked worn and had lost some of its shine since being repaired by Iorek Byrnison so long ago. Will shifted the pieces until the Knife laid in order from hilt to point. Mary could almost imagine the Knife was whole and in working condition again, though if it was she was sure Will would be exploring other worlds in stead of being in college.

There was a moment of stunned silence as the seers admired the Knife. Mary examined their faces, pleased to see that most seemed ready to believe them and send them home.

Charles reached for the Knife, then looked at Mary. "May I?"

Mary paused then nodded. Naturally he would have to examine it to believe it.

Charles carefully picked up the point of the Knife, examining it carefully. After careful examination, he said, "I still think we could use this."

"Charles, I think we can agree that this topic has been completely covered," Dr. Williamson said.

"I disagree. I think we could continue to explore this further."

"Charles, I believe the rest of the board agrees with me when I say that we have learned everything we can from this." The other members gave small nods. "Charles, as leader of this order I'm saying that we are done with it. You can stop bothering Dr. Malone and Will," Dr. Williamson said with finality.

"Why do you insist on ignoring my opinions?" Charles asked slowly.

"We have listened to very proposal you have made in the last month. But there are other things that are more important."

"This should not be ignored!" Charles said rising to his feet. "We should be devoting all our resources to this!"

"That would be a waste of resources. Sit down Charles."

"Someone needs to stand up to you! I never approved you being promoted! I would have been better!" Charles shouted.

Dr. Williamson's eyes widened. She rose to her feet. "You are out of line!"

"You will lead our organization to the ground!" Charles shouted.

"That is enough! We will discuss this later."

"We can discuss it now!" Charles waved the Knife point around chaotically as he gestured.

"Mr. Cooper, put the Knife down," Will said calmly, as if he was talking to a wild animal. "You could hurt someone."

"You're against me too!" Charles shouted, and he swung the Knife towards Will. Will jumped back, narrowly avoiding a painful slash.

_He's lost it,_ Alpino said. _He's completely lost it! He's going to hurt someone!_

Mary jumped to her feet at Alpino's words. "Charles please put the Knife down. It's dangerous."

"It hasn't hurt anyone! I'm going to use it!" Charles shouted wildly.

"Dad? What's wrong?" Annabelle peered into the room. "Dad, calm down!" She raced forward, reaching for her father.

Mary realized what would happen the moment before it did. Startled by the sudden movement, Charles swung around defensively, Knife raised. Annabelle's eyes widened and she flinched back, too slowly. Suddenly, a black ghostly shape leaped to Annabelle's defense. Her dæmon jumped in front of Charles' blow. His arm passed through Annabelle's dæmon. There was a flash of gold dust.

Mary squeezed her eyes shut at the burst of light that shown next. When she opened her eyes spots danced before her and it was a moment before she saw what was in front of her. Annabelle lay on the floor in a heap, still and silent. The others were blinking to adjust there eyes. Charles stood by Annabelle, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in awe. Purple light shown into the room and that was what Charles stared at. In a moment, he raced through the window, disappearing into the newly connected world.

Will leaped forward. He hastily grabbed the other parts of the Knife and ran after Charles through the window.

Mary was still in shock. She glanced again at the fallen Annabelle. What just happened?

_ Will! Go after Will! _Alpino cried and Mary did.

She jumped after Will and Charles into the other world. The last thing she heard of her own world was a terrified cry of "Annabelle!"

* * *

**So... how many of you expected that?  
**

**I've decided that I need to give this a specific genre in stead of general, but I'm not sure what kind of genre this would be. What do you guys think?**

**Please review, even if it's only a short review.**


	8. The End

**Look who's back so soon!**

* * *

The world Mary entered was very different from her own or the world of the mulefa. She stood on a dusty outcropping of rock. Thick trees surrounded her and the little grass that was growing was a sickly green. The sky was an eerie dusk purple. In front of Mary was a long bridge made of sturdy wooden planks and rope. It stretched out over an abyss of darkness. The other side was obscurred from vision by thick grayish-purple fog.

Mary ran forward after Will. He was hesitating only a few steps across the bridge. Kirjava was at his feet.

"Will, what is it?" Mary asked catching up to him.

"It's like the world of the dead," he said. "Dæmons can't cross it."

"Go, Will," Kirjava said. "I'll wait right here."

Will gave a small nod and started to cross. Mary ran after him. She had only made it a few steps before something tugged at her heart. She kept going, but every step brought another wave of pain in her heart until she cried out, spinning around to face her dæmon.

_Mary!_ Alpino cried out fluttering next to Kirjava.

Will stopped and turned when her heard Mary cry out.

"Stay here, Mary," he instructed. "Stay with Al and Kir. I'll be okay."

Mary reluctantly retreated with a sigh of relief. She wanted to stay, but cursed her weakness as Will rushed, alone, into the fog.

_Don't leave me, Mary,_ Alpino said, fluttering into her arms as soon as he could.

_I won't,_ Mary thought. _I'm staying right here._

"Don't worry," Kirjava said, coming to stand by Mary. "Will will be fine. He's strong he'll be fine."

"I know," Mary said, holding Alpino close as she stared into the fog. After a few moments of silence she asked, "How's he doing?"

"He hasn't found Charles yet," Kirjava said. "But that's not what you're asking, is it?"

"How's he coping with all..." Mary didn't finish, but she didn't have to.

"I'm not saying the memories don't hurt," Kirjava said after a moment. "We miss them dearly. But we understand why it had to happen, and we accept it."

"So, he'll be fine?" Mary asked, wanting certainty.

"Yes, he'll be fine. And who knows, maybe we can visit them someday."

Mary smiled slightly, but it was hard to be happy after all that had happened, and was happening. Mary knew grief would come, but right now she banished those thoughts from her mind. She needed to focus. When this was over she would grieve, but she had a job to do, however small it was.

The wait was unbearable. Mary had no idea how long the bridge was, nor how long they had been waiting. It could have been minutes, hours, or forever, she didn't know. Every now and then Kirjava would pace the width of the bridge, occasionally pawing at the invisible barrier that kept her from Will. Mary knew they felt the same. They should be out there helping Will. He might need them, but they were stuck back there like spectators.

Suddenly there was a loud screech and a huge white bird dropped onto Kirjava, talons first. She hissed, spinning around and clawed at her attacker with agility only a cat could manage. They collided in a clash of claws. Kirjava dragged the large owl down to the wooden planks, claws digging into feathers. Then, the other dæmon slashed at Kirjava with her talons, causing the cat to leap back off the owl. The owl beat her large wings, rising up of the ground. Kirjava sprang after the owl dæmon with a yowl of fury. Suddenly, Kirjava twisted in midair and landed with a crash onto the bridge, a front leg giving out beneath her.

"Help!" Kirjava said, twisting in panic, fur fluffed out. "Help us! Help him! He's got the Knife!"

Mary realized what was happening and raced farther along the bridge. The pain in her heart began as a dull ache. She ignored it but it grew as she ran. She had only made it twenty feet before she fell, scrapping her knees on the rough wood. Her heart hurt. It felt like it had been torn from her chest and abandoned in the cold.

"Al!" Mary cried, twisting around to race back to him. She was cruel for even thinking of running and was ready to run back.

_No! Go! Help Will! He needs you!_ Alpino cried. _Go!_

Tears streaming down her face, Mary ran. The fog swallowed Alpino up, but she kept running. She felt like a betrayer, abandoning something precious. Mary fell to her knees again, pain and sorrow blinding her. She should turn and race back to Alpino. She should beg him for forgiveness. But Alpino had said go. Mary climbed to her feet. He said go. She would go.

Mary continued to race along the bridge. She wiped her eyes to see better, but there was nothing to see except purple sky and the wood in front of her. Mary kept running, trying to ignore that her heart was being torn in half.

Soon, Mary began to see shaped in front of her. Muffled noises of fighting reached her and Mary forced herself to run faster. Seemingly in an instant, the fog cleared and Mary saw the commotion in front of her. Charles Cooper had Will pinned down on his back. Blood dripped from Will's arm, but Charles had fresh red marks on his face as well. The point of the knife was in Charles' hand and he was trying to force closer to Will. Will had both arms up, trying to push the Knife and Charles away.

Mary saw all this in a heartbeat. She could not let Charles harm Will.

With a strangled cry, Mary charged. She threw her whole weight against Charles. Though Mary was light, neither man had seen her coming. Charles fell backwards. His hands flew out to catch himself and the Knife point flew from his grasp. It clattered to the bridge.

Will sprang to his feet and grabbed the Knife point. He positioned himself in front of Mary protectively and held the Knife point in front of him. The Knife might be broken, but Will was still the Knifebearer and he wielded the Knife as if it was an extension of himself.

Charles clumsily got to his feet. He glared at Will and Mary. "That is mine."

Will slowly shook his head. "No."

Charles stood still, contemplating.

"If you come calmly," Will said, slowly "I won't hurt you."

Charles thought some more, then eventually nodded slowly. He took a shuffled forward, head bowed as if ashamed. He came within a few feet of Will. The his head snapped up and he lunged towards Will, hands grasping for the Knife point.

But Kirjava was a cat for a reason. Will's reflexes were lightning fast. He ducked to the side, out of reach of Charles' hands. The man tripped over Will, knocking Will to the wood. Charles flipped over Will's back. And flew over the edge of the bridge without a sound.

Mary gasped and raced to the edge of the bridge. She saw a silhouette fall away below the fog and into the darkness. An owl screeched from far away.

Mary backed away slowly. That was it? It was over? Mary dropped to the ground, the secure bridge steadying her. She was simply in shock, aware of what had happened, but not sure if she believed it.

"Mary, what are you doing here?" Will had sat up, and was looking at Mary with a sort of weariness.

"You needed help," Mary murmured. "Kirjava said you needed help. So... I ran."

Will gave a little shake of his head. "You ran all the way? You left Alpino?"

"I... I had to..." Mary said softly. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "Did it hurt this much when you were separated?"

Will nodded.

"Why aren't you shocked, Will?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Considering I've gone through this before, I guess it's not that terrible as it used to be." Will looked at the shard of blade in his hand. He carefully wiped it, then just stared at it, thinking.

"Does it work?" Mary asked.

Will began to shake his head, then paused. He raised it up, and seemed to feel in the air with it. "I can still feel the tears," he said. "But I can't cut through." He pulled out the sheath and returned the Knife point to its proper place with the rest of the pieces. Then he stood up and offered his hand to Mary. "Let's go home."

Mary let him help her to her feet and together they walked the long walk back to the start of the bridge. Nothing was said, and nothing needed to be said. But they both knew that this would be in their minds for a long tome.

Mary felt Alpino coming closer before she actually saw him. The fog drifted away and there he was, clear as day.

"Al!" Mary cried, running forward. He flew into her arms as soon as he could.

"Mary, I'm solid."

She smiled, and for the first time, literally stroked his black feathers.

* * *

**This is what reviews and free time can do.**

**Expect an epilog soon.**

**Please review.**


	9. Epilog

Annabelle's funeral was a small occasion. The seers were used to keeping things discrete and this was no exception. Mary became quite good friends with Rebecca, who had lost both daughter and husband in one day.

Mary was offered a position among the seers, which she respectfully declined. She had had enough of them, though most were nice people.

Will returned to college in late August. He continued his research with Dark Matter, and began working with the Knife again, though it still remains in pieces.

Alpino's solidity and visibility took a lot of getting used to. He spends a lot of time in the house or soaring the wind. Mary always keeps a window open for him to come and go as he pleases. They kept their telepathic bond and use it to communicate more that verbally talking.

Mary started researching Shadows again. She examines Dust, dæmons, and is beginning to learn a lot more about the world we live in.

* * *

**I did not expect my first fanfiction to turn out this way. I really thought it would be more cheerful when I wrote the first chapter. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed. I don't think I'd ever have finished it without your reviews. I hoped you all enjoyed it. Please review and tell what you liked and what you didn't.  
**

**Thanks for reading! Till next time.**

**-X**


End file.
